Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1887-12-08

little scare l climbed up into the laz
arctic and, going to the port, stuck ml
head out and yelled: Ship ahoy-
helpr several times. l could hear peo
pie running about On deck, and 1 haG
no doubt that the superstitious Span
iards thought that my ghost was aftel
them. Next morning, when l awoke
with headache, 1 blamed myself fol
having alarmed the erew needlessly
but when 1 had braced up with little
wiHs 1 felt that by keeping the Span
iards under the impression that the
vessel was haunted they would be very
chary about venturing down into the
hold, and that consequently the danger
OF nay being discovered would be lessen
ed. Every night, therefore, L went up
to the port and, sticking my head out,
yelled few times for help. My cries
were no longer followed by noises on
deck, and l concluded that when the
poor Spaniards heard my ghostly cries
they remained still and trembled.
"Late one afternoon 1 lay with my
head out of the port getting some fresh
air aud watching the water, which
seemed strangely calm. 1 had been hav-
ing altogether too much wine, and I was
now feeling the bad effects Of it. I felt
regularly melancholy, somehow, as 1
watched the smooth waves. I happened
to look out to lseward, and saw q boat.
In it were the captain and about half of
the crew. They were rowing away from
the bark. They soon drifted g little
forward of the line that could see from
the port, and 1 lost sight OF them
Then it flashed over me that they had
deserted the bark because they thought
that she was haunted Probably the
mate and the rest Of the crew had gone
away in the other boat. l crawled
through the lazaretto and over the cargo
to the trap door ia the little room where
1 had slept. I tried the door, but it
would not move Some barrels Of stores
had evidently bsen placed over the trap
door. cried out several times, but re-
ceived no answer l had no doubt that
every one had deserted the vessel. I
felt that | was doomed to sink with the
abandoned vessel. l crawled back to
my resting place and took bottle of
wine, but instead Of cheering Inc up it
depressed me. l went back to the port
and found that the sun had set. My
thoughts became 80 gloomy that I could
net bear them. A feeling of terror took
possession of me and 1 deliberately
crawled through the port and dropped
head foremost into the sea.
'Nhen | came to the surface I heard
criUs-nnd SAW boat dashing up to me.
l was seized by the hair and dragged
into the boat Here 1 saw the captain
and several OF his crew. The captain
had merely been to visit tho master of
another Spanish vessel, which lay be-
Gained short distance from the bark,
and on his way back had seen me plunge
out of the port hole. I was hoisted on
board. The captain and tho mate had
IN animated discussion in Spanish,
which was followed by the mates hur-
rying down into the hold. 1 awaited
his return with trembling. / felt sure
that, after discovering the hole I had
made in the cargo, the mate would
thrash me within an inch of my life
He came up on deck. expected to be
knocked DOVE. But instead of thatthe
mate ran to me, and, throwing his arms
around me, embraced me in a delight
ful manner. 1t took me moment or
two to realize that the mate was delight
ed 10 find that his superstitious fears
were groundloss, and that the bark,
after all, had not beon haunted. New
York Times.